


Parasite

by dragabond



Category: Spectrobes
Genre: But also, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergent, Gen, Tags May Change, its rlly complicated kebf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:41:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragabond/pseuds/dragabond
Summary: Their whole world literally falling apart at the hands (or rather teeth) of the Krawl, a remaining survivor takes a stupid risk in an attempt to stay alive, and in doing so slowly begin to learn more about themself than they could have ever hoped to have known.!!WARNING!!This fanfiction May contain themes of violence, mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, human and alien gore, and other potential triggering content. I will try to give proper warnings at the beginning of a chapter for each thing but I am very forgetful and may make a mistake. Take caution in reading if these sorts of things trigger you.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

_It had hardly been a full day since the Krawl had first been spotted on the humble little planet of Kocarro._

_What fools we were not to take action right then and there._

_What started off as small isolated and individual sightings very quickly became a full-fledged invasion. Whole civilizations were devoured faster than anyone could have reacted. Mass panic was very quick to follow. This planet was made for those who wanted to keep living simpler, more old-fashioned lives. Less technological development than most, and what did exist was strictly for emergencies and health._

_All the emergency technology and goods were quickly depleted though. Not many were able to evacuate the planet. Those who wanted and were able to afford their own personal solo-ship left quickly on their own. The emergency ships all over the globe had been quickly occupied and sent off to leave the planet. Even then, some of those didn't make it past the stratosphere._

_Those unlucky enough to miss an emergency escape ship were doomed to suffer the same inevitable fate of Kocarro. Death. Destruction. Slowly eaten alive._

_I was one of those people._

_I refused to just roll over and die, though. I had to keep trying. I needed to do something other than uselessly shoot at whatever Krawl approached me with my cheap lasergun before running. Nothing I could think of would work though... unless..._

_Perhaps the idea was stupid. Perhaps the idea was doomed to fail, but it wasn't going to stop me from trying._

_I spent a good few days gathering up whatever materials and fabrics and paints I could get my hands on and putting together some sort of attempt at a disguise. With what little knowledge I had on the Krawl, even if this somehow did work, I doubted heavily it would be for very long. I spent more time desperately trying to put something that looked believable together than I did resting. When it was finally done... it was time to put it to the test._

_Using latex, tape, various fabrics, and paint for fabric and skin alike, I donned a costume of a more human-shaped Krawl. Skin painted light purple, black paint and latex forming to make a sort of mask-like look down the bridge of my nose and up to above my eyes. My hair was formed and painted black with more latex to form unusual shapes on my head, and more deeper purple paints were used to add markings that I could only hope looked Krawl enough. It was uncomfortable. I wanted to rip it all off the instant I put it on but this was my only, albeit very very slim chance of, perhaps, finding some way to survive._

_If that was possible._

_I tucked a few keepsakes from my mother with me in hopes that perhaps they would grant me luck. Now was the time of truth. Now was the time to go discover if this would work, or be my ultimate downfall._

* * *

They didn't have to wander or search for very long, luckily enough. Or perhaps, unluckily enough. Before them stood a rather unusual Krawl; one that appeared rather humanoid as well. They had never personally seen one like this before...

She was a rather average height at first glance, wearing some sort of shoulder-padded robe. Pink skin and various shades of purples and magentas scattered her form in the shape of unusual markings, a short dress of sorts, and rather sharp, whip-like pigtails. She didn't seem to notice them at first. Not until they had the guts to take a breath in, ready to speak.

The Krawl turned and looked at them, silencing them almost immediately. She was clearly looking them up and down, eyes seemingly endless repeating circles of black and white feeling as though they were piercing their very being. She approached slowly, a look of both amusement and disappointment seeming to cross her face as she shook her head and tsk'ed at them.

"Well, well, what might we have here, hm? Lost little human playing dress up?"

They shifted uneasily, silent before they spoke for themself. "I'm not hu--"

"Oh, don't take me for a fool, hun. I'm not as mindless as these lesser Krawl parading about." she quickly interrupted. "Though, to be fair, I don't think they would even be fooled. Oh, but don't take that personally! It's just that they don't rely on looks to determine what is and isn't a Krawl."

She walked circles very closely around them, her intimidating scythe of a pigtail occasionally brushing against them, reveling in their obvious anxiety. "I am curious. What would compel the likes of you to try passing off as a Krawl, hm? Fear? Desperation? Perhaps betraying your own kind? Ohhh~! All three could certainly be an option! You poor little thing..." A chuckle escaped her as she condescended them, eventually twirling back to the front of them, crossing her arms and pressing her sharp pigtail up under their chin, effectively lifting up their head.

"Well, you made me laugh, I'll give you that. It's nice to be humored from time to time but thinking you can just pass off as a Krawl-- and to what-- to try joining? What exactly were you hoping to do here? Surely you couldn't have thought you could just stroll around like this and we would just bring you in with us!"

They shut their eyes tight for a moment, their yellow eyes looking away once they opened again. "I... I mean, kind of... Like... I'd uh... prefer that over being eaten up with a planet...? So--"

She laughed again, much louder this time, shaking her head and pretending to wipe an entertained tear from her eye. "Oh goodness, you really _did_! That is just _too_ rich, _really_ , I don't think I'll ever be this amused again! Shame you'll be dying now." With a grin, she moved back, lunging her jagged pigtails towards them aiming to pierce through their body.

They flinched and recoiled back, shutting their eyes very tightly.

............

There is no impact.

They opened one of their eyes, slowly moving their arms away to see that a masked figure was now standing there and holding the Krawl's pigtails... as though it were nothing.

"Wh-- M-master Krux...?"

Clearly surprised and confused, she waited for some sort of explanation. _Master Krux... protecting a human? One stupid enough to try dressing as a Krawl, no less? Why?_

Krux released her pigtails, turning his attention now to the dressed up human. He was still and silent. His tall form and stoic demeanor add to the intimidation that he was, apparently, master to these Krawl. Even with that mask obscuring and hiding his face entirely, they felt as though he was peering into their very being, stirring something inside them. They didn't know what he might be thinking or planning but they didn't like how long he'd been just... observing them.

Finally he turned away, lifting his arm and his hand opening to create a swirling shroud of darkness. Perhaps some form of portal?

"Maja. They come with us. Make sure they follow."

Before she could even respond, Krux moved into the shroud he summoned up, vanishing with it in mere moments.

Maja turned and looked to the human, still confused but not daring to disobey Krux's very direct order. She didn't seem to be happy that she was tasked with this.

Uncomfortable moments of silence between the two passed. 

"So... Maja--"

"Let's get you back before Master Krux thinks I _killed_ you instead."

"...Alright."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> i havent written anything myself in ages thanks to adults literally publically humiliating and bullying my writing when i was a freshman in highschool so im surprised i even managed to start this but COOL I DID IT pwease enjoy i hope  
> boy oh boy i get to write as the rest of the high krawl at least a little bit next chapter
> 
> OC (name reveal next chapter) belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	2. Chapter 2

The travel with Maja was so uncomfortably silent that it felt like _ages_ before progress seemed to be made. A lot of that time was spent waiting for Maja. Seeing as even a Krawl's method of travelling is limited, she had to go out of her way to venture without them to gather a suit that would keep them from immediately freezing and suffocating in the vast cold emptiness of space. It was more of a precaution than a necessity. Neither of them knew if a vortex would shield them from the instantaneous death of being exposed out in space, and with Krux having personally requested she bring them along, she didn't want to risk potential punishment.

As soon as they were suited up for protection, Maja grabbed a tight hold of their arm, tugging them toward her before a vortex suddenly swirled around them, shrouding and containing them entirely.

They tugged away some, clearly uncomfortable with the grasp on their arm, causing Maja to look at them and scoff. "Oh _please_ , this isn't even going to be for very long. Sit still, would you?" She rolled her eyes and tugged back in annoyance. "If not for Master Krux's demands, I'd gladly let you go and not care about you potentially flying out of the vortex and to your death out in space. I relish the idea, really."

They winced, teeth grit some from the discomfort and mild pain of just how tightly their arm was being held on to, a slight glare casting over the Krawl. "Yeesh, listen, I get you hate humans and whatever but-- _ow!_ \-- you don't need to be so _mean_ , geez...! At least _try_ to make this time we're stuck together more bearable for us both?"

Maja gave a chuckle and closed her eyes, head tilted just slightly the the side and fingers barely touching her chin. "Oh, but this _does_ make being stuck with you more bearable! Imagine if I had to actually pretend I liked you. Yikes!" She grinned and pulled their arm again until they were close enough for her to lean down towards their face. "By the way, asking a Krawl to stop being _mean_? A good way to get yourself killed faster."

They took a breath in and raised a finger, ready to remark back, but before they could, the vortex felt like it was rumbling and shaking all over the place. They wobbled and waved their free arm out some, struggling to keep balance. The movement made them start feeling dizzy and nauseous. Maja seemed entirely unburdened by it all. In fact she wasn't reacting at all. A smirk crossed her lips as she watched them struggle about. Seeing them have such difficulty seemed to amuse her.

By the time the sudden tremoring of the vortex stopped, it dispersed entirely, revealing a scene entirely alien to them.

In front of them stood a massive towering palace of sorts. It, as well as the floor underneath them, seemed to be made up entirely of some sort of marble and metal. They weren't quite sure which. It was decorated with what appeared to be very precise carved in geometric markings, the occasional yellow tint in some here and there. Inclines and small monuments had similar patterns that instead glowed with an orange-yellow light. The horizon is a beautiful but unsettling endless night filled with only the light of stars millions of light-years away and jagged mountainscapes of what appears to be some form of crystal formations, ranging in colors between a spectrum of white and deep purples.

A quick look downward revealed the palace to be elevated, be it floating or atop a mass of land unable to be seen. It's a very steep and drastic drop from the platform the two stand on down into a many miles wide pit full of the same crystal-like structures making up the distant mountains. These are more white in color than the ones of the mountains.

Maja grabbed the protective helmet off of them and hummed as she chucked it over her shoulder, down behind her into those very pits. They reached out and stammered for it. Nope. There was no getting that back.

"Great! Now that I've finally got you here, I can _leave_ and do my own thing." Maja groaned out, rolling her eyes before shoving their arm away and out of her grasp before she turned on her heel and began to walk away. "Have fun! Don't get lost, now!"

They stood and watched Maja as she began to leave them behind. Honestly, they much preferred the idea of wandering around blindly by themself than sticking with her right now. Almost eagerly they watched her get further and further away until suddenly... she stopped in place.

And as she did, they felt a strange tugging sensation in their head and chest. It ached and disoriented them some, making them close their eyes and shake their head slowly, a hand reaching up to rub at their temple.

Maja's lips curled up, sneering as she glared back at them. "Tch... Nevermind, I suppose. Looks like we're going to be stuck together for a bit longer..." she grumbled out, turning back to look at the human before huffing and pointing to the ground in front of her. "Come on now, it's best not to ignore Master Krux's summons. You'll find yourself wishing you _did_ get killed by me earlier if you test his patience."

They sighed and shook their head. "You don't have to _heel_ me over like a dog, you know." they replied, still walking over to her despite this. "With any luck, we won't have to deal with each other too much after this. Can we at least both agree we're looking forward to that?"

"Oh, absolutely."

Following Maja was very anticlimactic. She lead them silently to just right inside the palace before she grabbed their arm again, tugging them roughly closer before a shroud of swirling darkness enveloped them both. It was very quick and subsided nearly as quickly as it arrived. The travel still made them feel more nauseous though.

They were in an entirely different room now. The walls were lighter than the ones on the outside, but that was the most they got the chance to really pay attention to before the more important matter was quickly spotted.

More Krawl. All three of them also somewhat humanoid in appearance and wearing a very similarly fashioned cloak of sorts.

The first was smaller than Maja. He was stout, round, and green, the markings across his head and arms a golden yellow while his two eyes were very noticeably different sized and red. He seemed to be stuck in a permanent grin, and the rest of his body was concealed by his cloak.

The second one was only a bit taller than Maja. He was a pitch black and pale blue, darker blue markings strewn across his body. His eyes blinked sideways and rather than having legs, his lower half resembled a jagged malformed tree trunk instead. Behind him a dark shadow with wide circular eyes and a big maw loomed. It didn't seem very keen on their arrival here, and he was clearly holding it back.

The third and final of the Krawl standing in the room was much taller and larger than the rest. At least a good nine or ten feet tall. He looked enraged. Annoyed. Perhaps fitting with the fire that seemed to swirl around-- no-- that seemed to be a permanent part of his body. What would be his legs was a fiery pillar, it's movement reminding them of a tornado. His right shoulder and the 'hair' of his head moved just as wildly but looked to form heads and faces similar but longer than that of the blue one's shadow.

All in all, none of them looked very thrilled about them being here, with the exception of the green one, but they doubted it was a good thing he was grinning.

They were so caught up in studying the other Krawl, a nervous sweat building just above their brow, they were startled at the sudden sound of Krux appearing in the same manner he had left last they saw him. His head barely moved but you could tell he was gazing across the room, looking to see that everyone had arrived as he commanded.

"Wonderful." he finally spoke. Somehow, the silence was much more inviting than his voice. "I'm surprised at everyone's constraint. I expected to arrive to our new addition screaming or half torn apart."

An uncomfortable quiet whine escaped their throat as they faltered on their feet, trying to look at least a little less anxious. They felt staying quiet and not speaking a word would be the best right now, but a question nagged at them and they had to know the answer. "I-I'm--"

As soon as they started to speak, all attention was focused on them. They shrank back some, hesitating before clearing their throat some. "I'm sorry, sir... Krux... sir, um... but... why did you want me here...? I don't--"

"Would you rather I grab you up by your feeble neck and crush your airways and watch you slowly suffocate instead?"

They stopped, swallowing down what felt like a huge rock of fear. Their sweating was more noticeable. They could feel their body trembling some. "N-no. No this is fine, thank you..."

He stared them down for some short while. They could feel his displeasure with them, his pure annoyance and irritation. Staying silent definitely was the better option here, it seemed.

"...Now then, since you decided to _question_ my decision in bringing you here, why don't you continue your speaking? Introduce yourself to myself and my High Krawl." His hand gestured to the humanoid Krawl within the room.

High Krawl... did that make them more powerful than any ordinary Krawl? It must have. They never knew of any Krawl that spoke either... 

Their fingers fidget together anxiously. "Introduce... myself... right... um..."

A name. A name. They needed a name. They hated their birth name but they never really had the chance to put any actual thought into a different name for themself. And being surrounded by Krawl, a new human name would only alienate them even more. Assuming they lived long enough for any of these High Krawl to even care about their name.

"I'm-- my name... uh... my name is... Zzz-- uh..."

"Zuh." Krux didn't sound very amused by the time they were taking to give their name.

"N-no...! No, sorry, it's-- it's... er..."

Getting frustrated with themself, they're ready to just shout out the first name that comes to mind. Finally though, an idea comes to mind. If they mixed up their stammering and their failed beginning attempt, mess around with it a little...

They give a sheepish and uncertain smile.

"My name is Zerva."

Krux stared Zerva down, and though he moved not a muscle, they could feel his eyes scanning them over, studying their body language and facial expression. The inability to determine at all what he might've been thinking made it all the more anxiety-inducing and stressful. All they could tell for certain was that they were absolutely being studied. "...Zerva, is it?" he finally answered to their introduction. "Very well. Zerva, I do hope you find your stay here as... _safe_ as you hoped it would be."

Glancing away towards their feet, they responded with a simple nervous chuckle, swallowing what they could of their fear and holding their breath for some moments. "Um-- right. Thank you..."

"With your introduction out of the way, I will allow my High Krawl to introduce themselves as well, should they so desire. I would _hope_ they would be hospitable enough to return your acquaintances." Krux reopened a portal beside him, preparing to leave them to the Krawl around the room. They were not at all looking forward to that. "Should I hear news of more infighting amongst you all, there will be repercussions. Zerva, you may wander the palace with or without a guide when you are done here. Should you find an empty unused room that is to your liking, you may claim it as your own quarters as everyone else has. Try not to get too lost, will you?"

Again, without waiting for any semblance of a response, Krux left, vanishing with the portal and leaving Zerva alone and... surrounded. Their eyes darted nervously between them all, their smile practically coated in how anxious they were. Another nervous chuckle escaped them. 

Maja gave an exasperated sigh before she turned on her heel and began to leave the room as well. "Well, seeing as you and I are already on a name-to-name basis, I think I'll take an early leave. I don't think you'll mind that very much though. Here's hoping we don't encounter each other much anymore, hm?" With a disinterested waving of her hand, a darkness enveloped her and she was gone.

There was a pause of stiff uncomfortable silence. Thankfully, not one that lasted too long as it was broken by one of the High Krawl who cleared his throat and heaved out a sizable sigh, drawing in everyone's attention.

"I am Jado! The Great Negative! I am the darkness that hides in light, the fear--"

The black and blue High Krawl wass cut off with a resounding smack and the sound of a swooshing fire. The much larger and fiery High Krawl had smacked the back of his head, letting out a sigh while Jado was left hunched forward and rubbing where he was impacted, one eye closed. "Don't start. You'll talk the little human to death at that rate."

Zerva fidgeted their fingers together before raising one up, their posture very slouched. "K-Krawl... I'm a Krawl." they attempted to insist.

"Sure."

The massive fire pillar of a Krawl scoffed and flicked a few stray flames off of his fingertips. "I am Gelberus. I'm sure you've already guessed what my deal is so I won't go on a massive spiel about it like _others_ here."

"And _I_ won't talk about others like they aren't standing right beside me like others do!" Jado retorted, sharp teeth gnashing together.

Their eyes looked between the two, unsure of how to even respond. They took a step back while they seem more focused on each other but are stopped by the remaining High Krawl in the room who reached up and grabbed their hand with both of his own, shaking it a bit too hard. He grinned wider than what should be proportionate to the size of his face, making his head appear to be at _least_ 50% teeth. "And I am Gronos! High Krawl of Void! Connoisseur of cores!"

"Connoisseur of cores...?" Zerva questioned, cocking a brow.

"He likes to eat the cores of planets that we either don't use for our personal gain or that don't have any benefits or necessities for us requiring the core. He eats a ton more than just that but those are a delicacy to him or something." Gelberus answered quite plainly. Gronos seemed to confirm that with a cackle.

They gave a hesitant thumbs up and awkward smile. "Ha haaa, great...! Um... I'll... definitely keep that in mind if I ever... want... to eat a core... because I do that."

"...Well, you can certainly try!" Gronos snorted, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "Well! I think I'll be taking my leave now! It's been a pleasuring making your acquaintance, and should you come to an unfortunate and early demise I will be more than happy to clean you up!" He clicked his teeth together with two big bites in the air before laughing and vanishing in a shroud of darkness.

"...Did... did he just-- you know what, nevermind, stupid question, he absolutely did, okay, great, wonderful, got it."

Zerva was already feeling the pressure, more so than earlier. Between the fact that clearly everyone knew they were human, even if that had been expected, and knowing that they can't do nearly as much stuff as everyone else topped on the fact of knowing one of them is definitely going to eat them when they die had them worried that perhaps... they may have an 'accidental' death sooner than anticipated.

"I think I'll go too. Can't stand lingering around doing a whole lot of nothing for this long... Well!" 

As he passed by Zerva, Gelberus gave them a very firm and heavy pat on their back, causing them to grunt and stumble forward quite a bit, nearly knocking them over. "Try not to die too early on. Having you with us is sure to make things more interesting around here. Maybe even entertaining." He waved without looking back, leaving the room without the means of producing his own portal.

They were alone with Jado now. There was some silence, but it didn't last long. Surprisingly, Zerva was the first to speak up, giving a small cough before looking back at the High Krawl. "So, um... that... introduction that you were going to 'talk me to death' with, uh... is that like a thing you always do or something?"

"Hmph! Not _always_! I don't see why they hate it so much! I think it adds more terror behind what I am capable of!" Jado replied, crossing his arms over his chest and shutting his eyes. His shadow seemed to pout as well.

"That's a pretty fair reason. I mean... I personally wouldn't do it but like, hey, you do you man." They fall silent again. A hand reaching up to rub at the back of their neck. "...Um... if you want to you can like... say your thing still. Like, I mean-- I'm kinda curious about what the whole thing is since I didn't get to hear anything past the beginning, I think? I'm assuming that anyway. So, if you--"

"You _really_ want to hear it?"

His voice hung in the air. Lips only the smallest bit parted and eyes wide. He raised an arm up some, fingers curling and eyes blinking. His head cocked to the side. Jado seemed shocked to hear this.

Zerva rubbed at their shoulder and shrugged. "Well, I mean... yeah. Let me see what you got."

Jado looked to his shadow, then back to Zerva. He blinked again, taking a moment to just stand there before slinking over to them just a bit more. He scratched at the side of his head. "Well... alright, if you insist...! Now... do I start all over, or pick up where I was interrupted?" He shut his eyes, a thoughtful hum escaping him as he considered his two options. He opened his eyes and with a big smile, he places a hand to his chest.

"Ahem...! I am the fear behind every hope! I dog all that lives and grows and hopes and dreams, like wolves who follow the winter caravan! I am the dark that the light needs! There is no thing without its negation!"

His hand was raised dramatically in the air as he went on his small speech, closing it by slowly returning it back to his chest and shutting his eyes. " _I_ am what darkness is made of."

Once Zerva was certain that was the end of Jado's spiel, they smiled and clapped. "That was really dramatic! I like it! Wasn't nearly as long as Gelberus made it seem it would be but I definitely thought it was neat! Fucking superb, you funky blue man."

Jado blinked, having never received such a reaction as that. He wasn't sure what to do. "Errrm... Thanks? I'm not sure what to say about that. I figure it would strike more fear into the hearts of all who oppose and defy us, but perhaps I get carried away with it..."

“Nothing wrong with getting carried away with that, I mean, if you’re enjoying yourself and it’s helping you out with the stuff you do I say go for it, to know?” Zerva suggested with a small smile and a shrug. "Well, I guess I should let you... do your stuff and whatnot? And I should find my room."

"Oh! Probably! I won't have anything to do for some time, likely, unless Master Krux calls upon me for another task. I believe Gronos is finishing the little remains of this system before we get a move on to our next target system! Though I suppose asking him myself may not hurt either... hmm..." He scratched the side of his head before standing straight and looking at Zerva again.

"Well, I appreciate you taking the time to actually attempt listening to my speech! I don't think anyone has actually willingly listened to it, now that I think about it... Oh, who cares about that, I must go check in with Master Krux! I will be seeing you later, Zerva."

With a snap of his fingers, he and his shadow were swallowed by the same darkness that transported the other Krawl to wherever it was they decided to go, Zerva supposed.

They sighed, dragging a hand down their face slowly and leaving it there. "This has been about the craziest most fear and stress inducing day of my entire god damn life and I can only imagine it's going to get worse from here..."

Zerva put their hands on their hips, rolling their shoulders and sighing before they began to finally leave the room themself as well. Traversing this place with all the portals strewn about was going to be confusing, they could feel it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> Zerva has big stupid dumb idiot syndrome and also is trying to be supportive to avoid death and dying and being eaten by sentient space fungus oh boy oh boy.  
> also sometimes a chapter is just filler stuff featuring some very small minor character relationship developments
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	3. Chapter 3

One portal.

After another.

After another.

After another.

This place seemed like a maze of endless portals and copies of the same structure of rooms and halls to pass through. It was impossible for Zerva to tell if they were making any sort of headway. It felt like walking on a treadmill. Sure, they were absolutely moving forward but they were not getting anywhere. The only room they found themself ending up in with these portals that was any different from the rest of them only lead out towards the entrance where Maja had first brought them in and it quickly became part of the repeating process. They went on like this for a solid ten minutes before stopping and letting out a frustrated yell. "How am I supposed to find *anything* in this place!?"

"Well, not wandering around blindly with no destination in mind would be a start." a deep voice huffed out, causing Zerva to jump and tense before they spun around to see Gelberus about halfway across the room. He couldn't help but to smirk and roll his eyes at their reaction, crossing his arms over his chest and slowly making his way over.

They shifted in place, fingers scraping at each other as they fight off the urge to chew at them instead. "Kind of hard to have a destination when you don't know what all there is to a place... but, I mean... I sorta have one in mind and have had it since wandering so shouldn't that have helped then?" they asked, avoiding eye contact. He was double their size and it was more than a little intimidating.

"Well? What sort of destination is on your mind while you stumble through portal after portal?" Gelberus questioned, looming over them some as he waited for an answer.

They scratched at their hand nervously. "Well, uh... an... empty room."

He spread out his arms, standing at full height again as he gestured around the very room they were in. "Well here you go! An empty room. Just like the millions of others you've probably wandered through, and by millions I mean probably just the same three rooms." He gave out an amused huff and shook his head before leaning down towards Zerva, making them shrink back a little.

"See, that's the issue. You're thinking far too vague. That combined with the fact that there is a slight pattern to these portals isn't going to get you anywhere. Try thinking more specifically and with more detail. Even if you don't know what any of the rooms look exactly like, giving more details to it will narrow it down more. You'll also be wanting to move through the portals that look like they're swirling counter-clockwise. Those will get you to destinations _inside_ the palace while all the ones going clockwise will always gradually lead you to the entrance. Always."

Zerva blinked, silent for a minute as they glanced around at the portals in the room and occasionally back at Gelberus. "Uuhhhhhh cool, thanks, appreciate the tips but like... why are you helping me with navigating? Not that I don't appreciate it, I do...! But--"

"I've watched you pass through this same room at least eight times by now and it's just sad to watch. Figured I'd toss you a bone so you don't end up dying because you got lost in the palace."

" _...Ah._ "

That was quite embarrassing for Zerva to hear, but at least they were given advice rather than mocked and made fun of. They could only imagine that's what would have happened if Maja had been around to see this, and were honestly pretty surprised that Gelberus didn't do the same. They glanced at the floor and shuffled their feet. "Well... thanks again. I kinda feel really stupid now but I guess it could've been worse?"

Gelberus gave them a few heavy pats on the shoulder, making their breath rasp and wheeze out of their lungs some by the sudden force. "Don't mention it. Things might actually get interesting with a human around. Entertaining even. I'm really curious about how this is gonna end up."

"K-Krawl--" Zerva attempted to correct him but was quickly shut down the same way as they were before.

"Sure. Listen. You and Maja seem to already be on bad terms with each other so I'll throw you another bone. She's wandering around too. She's pretty restless in waiting to see what Master Krux's next plan of action is so just watch out for her and head the other direction or whatever." he warned them, looking to one of the portals as he finished speaking.

Zerva visibly grimaced and grit their teeth together. " _Great_ , can't wait to bump into her again..." they grumbled out, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, if I see her I'll turn around and go somewhere else I guess, and if she decides for whatever reason to approach me for harassment, well..."

They seem to stop and think about it. They had... zero plans for if they were to be harassed by Maja.

GREAT.

"I guess I'll just have to... arm wrestle her? Or something?"

Gelberus couldn't help but burst out laughing at Zerva's response. Of course, this startled them and they flinched back some, their posture hunching up. He was laughing. Why was he laughing?

"HA HA! Arm wrestle Maja? You're funny, Zerva. Very funny. Nice joke." he said to them, crossing his arms over his chest again. "I'd say try it, but she would probably cheat. Her hair is a lot stronger than it looks and she wouldn't be afraid to hurt you. Try ignoring her and running away if it gets too serious. ...Then again, if she's bored enough she might just follow you."

They cleared their throat and smiled sheepishly, rubbing their arm and looking up at Gelberus. "Well, let's uh... for now, just hope she doesn't decide she's bored enough to borderline stalk me. And if I do have to arm wrestle her, _If_ I do... and she cheats by using her hair... I can and _will_ call her a coward for cheating. Look. look at my arms." they said, pointing to one of them. "Noodles. Twigs. If she can't arm wrestle me normally she is a coward." At this point, Zerva was rambling mostly out of nervousness.

He scratched his chest and stretched his arms out before responding. Zerva was expecting to hear a bunch of popping from how he stretched but there wasn't a sound. "I'm sure that no one would ever hear the end of her ranting on if you _did_ call her a coward, especially looking the way you do. No offense of course." He let out a heavy sigh and gave a wave to them. "Welp, good luck with all that then. I'm gonna go wandering about some more myself before I get too bored again. Might stop on one of the already destroyed planets in the system just to cause a little extra havoc for fun." He turned away and began heading for one of the portals, stepping through it and vanishing before Zerva had a chance to respond.

They took a deep sharp breath in, holding it for a moment before they let it out in a loud sigh. "Here's hoping I find a decent room without a Maja encounter then. Dunno how much of what the flaming behemoth said was true but it's better to be safe..." they mumbled to themself.

Taking into mind the advice Gelberus had given to them, Zerva began traversing through the many many portals of the palace again. Just when they started to believe they were getting caught in the same endless loop, there was finally a change of scenery. This space was a series of multiple hallways, all with rooms attached to them. Rooms with actual doors! They never expected to be relieved to see doors of all things.

Checking every door as they went along, they found a majority of them to be locked up. The ones that weren't locked at all were entirely empty. Not a thing inside of them. 

Perfect for a room to claim.

Zerva stepped inside one of the empty rooms, closing the door behind them and walking along the wall. Their fingers traces along it as they moved. Eventually they stopped, leaning their back against the wall and slowly sliding down it to sit on the floor, eyes closing as they let out a sigh. "Maybe I can catch a nap before anything important happens..." they muttered out with a small chuckle.

They sit in utter silence, unmoving. The only sound in the whole room their own heartbeat. They shifted in place, scooting back against the wall just a tad more before reaching into one of their pockets and pulling out some sort of item. It was hexagonal but long in shape, its color a bit of a gold hue with what looked to be a green light strip or mark in the center. It was about the size of a smartphone. They were relieved they had pockets deep enough to hold it.

Zerva's fingers skimmed over the item as the looked it over, trying to figure out what it even was. "...Dad gave you to me... said mom was holding you before she died. Surprising. I'd think he would've just sold it for some money." They scoffed and shook their head some, squinting as they held it closer. "Either you're entirely worthless or he couldn't make heads or tails about your worth and didn't think it was worth the trouble." They paused and frowned, thinking about the fate of their planet for just a moment. "...Or he didn't have the chance to."

The sudden already familiar sound of an ominous dark portal appearing pulled Zerva from their thoughts, startling them. They gasped and tucked the item back away as quickly as they could. Just in the nick of time.

From the portal, Krux emerged. He spent no time waiting to toss a bag their way, causing them to flinch and shield themself.

It fell on the floor and several bottles of water rolled out, as well as a few rations.

"If you're going to be of any use, you're going to need to keep your health up. I will provide you with water and food as needed, but _only_ as needed. Once you are out in the field, I expect you to take the time to gather your own resources yourself. Do not expect any different treatment from the others just because you are human. Do not expect help to always come your way. Do not expect kindness and generosity."

Zerva sunk back against the wall, frowning as they listened to Krux speak. They gave a slow understanding nod. "...Right. Thank you. I'll-- I'll make sure to keep all that in mind and will definitely look for my own supplies and such when I'mmmm... finally... doing stuff."

"Wonderful." Krux tossed over a cloak this time; one resembling the ones the rest of the High Krawl were wearing, including the padded shoulders and with a small extra touch. Unlike the other cloaks, this one had the same decorative clips on it that Krux had upon his own attire. White. Round red gem. Red marks. Before Zerva could thank him again for this, he spoke once more. "I figured with how desperate you seem to want to be a Krawl, apparently, you would appreciate having something to help you blend in just a little more."

They looked embarrassed, but more than that very anxious. That strange sensation tugged inside them again. Zerva shifted uncomfortably.

"...Get yourself ready. I will have one of my High Krawl retrieve you soon. We will be setting our next course of action in mere minutes and I expect everyone to be there for briefing." Krux took a few steps back before being encompassed once more by a dark portal and disappearing just as suddenly as he had shown up, giving Zerva not even the smallest chance of responding to any of this.

They sat there, staring for some time where he had just been standing before looking down at the water and food he had provided them, as well as the cloak. "...Thank you." they said once more, hoping that maybe somehow he might still hear it. They felt it was only appropriate. They felt they owed much more than mere 'thank you's to this man considering he spared their life. Why though? For what purpose? He could've chose any other human just as easily, right?

Lingering in these thoughts, Zerva organized a little spot in the empty room for the water and food given to them and, with some struggling, put on their new padded cloak. All there was left to do now was wait for the meeting.

They sat in the room for what felt like forever as they just waited. Their fingers absentmindedly reached up and fidgeted with the odd clips of their new cloak as their mind wandered, thinking on what they should even expect next. Things were going to be very different from now on. Part of them wondered if all they were doing was delaying the inevitable by just the smallest of fractions. If they hadn't died or been killed by now, surely whatever happened next would be where it happened. It was only a matter of seconds as far as they knew.

That wouldn't stop them from trying to keep going.

Zerva grabbed themself one of the bottles of water, cracking open the cap of it before taking what was meant to be a small drink. Before they knew it, Zerva had downed nearly a full bottle already. Perhaps they were more in need of this than they thought... Stopping for air had left them gasping and breathing heavily. They eyed the remainder of the bottle down before staring at the rest of their supply that Krux had so generously given them. They were absolutely going to need to gather more. They made a mental note to prioritize that.

They set the bottle to the side and began to get to their feet again. Before they even stood to their full height however, they suddenly felt arms clasped tightly around them, almost aggressively so, followed by an almost panicked shout of, "YOU ARE LATE, YOU FOOL, MASTER KRUX WILL KILL YOU!"

Zerva flailed and gave out a muffled and surprised scream of their own, tugging away before they found themself enveloped in a darkness... and then once more in a room surrounded by all the High Krawl. Out of nothing but instinct they writhed and managed to slam their elbow back against their assailant, who's arms immediately loosened and let go of them upon that impact, a quick reactionary shriek following.

It seemed as though Jado was the one who had grabbed them so suddenly. His shadow hissed at Zerva while he himself rubbed where their elbow had met just under where his ribs would be. Assuming Krawl had ribs.

The rest of the High Krawl seemed to find this quite humorous, as Gronos cackled out at the scene. Maja simply smiled and covered her mouth but Gelberus snorted and grinned some.

"...Now that everyone is here, I would like to actually _begin_ the briefing."

Krux's unamused and serious tone broke any and all ounce of carefree nature within the room. All laughter and smiles were silenced instantaneously and the posture of the High Krawl become more professional.

Zerva dusted themself off, their own posture slightly hunched forward and uncomfortable. Of all the ways to be brought to this briefing, they didn't expect pseudo-abduction.

Several moments of silence lingered in the room as Krux seemed to just stare out at the group of them, Zerva included. It was... highly uncomfortable for them. They badly wanted to break the silence themself but were far too terrified to even dare try.

Eventually, Krux turned away from the High Krawl, staring out a massive aperture of glass showcasing the vast and infinite darkness that was space, dotted only with the lights of stars light years away.

In the center of the room, suddenly, a holographic image of an unfamiliar solar system displayed itself. All the planets and points of interest visible on each of them were displayed in an impressive and comprehensible fashion.

"...The conquering of our latest star system was successful. Another system to harbor a Krawl Lake upon." He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Our next target is the Baukava system. Several of the planets their have human activity on them. I want you to make sure that any of their defenses against us are destroyed. Towers, weapons, anything that will prevent us sending more Krawl into their system to fully decimate it."

He turned around and looked towards all of them again.

"Scout the planets. See what they have. Anything and everything of potential use or importance is to be reported to me, _Zerva_."

They jumped some, eyes going wide at the sudden speaking of their name. The emphasis Krux put on it indicated to them that the only reason he was speaking any bit of this out loud was for them to know and understand. Zerva shrank back some, tapping the tips of their fingers together nervously. "R-right...! Right, got it, I'll absolutely one hundred percent do that. For sure. Yup."

They cleared their throat after their nervous stammering, eyes averted away now that they had finished making a total fool of themself by just speaking.

"Good."

Upon raising his hand, a large blue portal erupted into existence outside the mission briefing room. This portal was somehow... different to the smaller ones Zerva had seen so far; the ones for travel within the palace. "I do not want to hear of any bickering or fighting over who claims which planet. Choose one and be done with it. That is final. As for you, Zerva..."

Every time he said their name they felt so targeted.

"You will be accompanying one of my High Krawl. You have your uses, and I would hate for them to be squandered by something as ridiculous as beginner's ignorance."

There are a few moments of passing silence that follow before he returned his gaze back to the group of High Krawl. "Now, you may all take your pick of planets and decide amongst yourselves who will be accompanying Zerva. If no one can decide I will assign the planets and the task myself."

He made watching them sound like babysitting... They looked over the holographic images of the Baukava system again, looking at each planet as the hologram cycled through its displays over and over. Zerva barely paid any mind to the discussion of the High Krawl while they tried to divide planets amongst each other without causing a fight and upsetting their master. One planet in particular they found themself interested in. It looked pretty and... even if the end result of this was it getting destroyed, they wanted to see it.

"I want to... go... to the blue planet..." they mumbled out, mostly to themself. Unfortunately for them, Maja picked up their mumbling, eyes glancing in their direction. "You know, we can't hear you when you mutter under your breath like that, you'll really need to speak lou--"

"I WANT THE BLUE PLANET!" Zerva shouted out in the mild panic of having been heard, posture shrinking down a bit as they quieted down a bit more. Their outburst certainly drew everyone's attention onto them. If they weren't anxious earlier, they absolutely were now.

“If... that’s okay, I mean— um...”

Krux remained silent after the nervous outburst from Zerva. The silence was unbearable for the few moments before he finally spoke up. "Very well. Gronos will be going with you to show what you will be looking for, if there is any life upon that planet." 

He turned away from them, and even with how unusually calm he seemed, they couldn't help but to feel as though that was a tally mark added closer to their death.

The smallest of the High Krawl floated his way beside Zerva and leaned against them some. An unusual sight given that even they were taller than he was.

"Well, looks like it's gonna be you and me on that big blue gumball, eh? Can't wait! I can show you the ropes pretty well!"

Gronos glanced about, watching as the rest of the High Krawl prepared to leave before allowing himself to float up closer to their height, leaning in towards Zerva's ear. They instinctively leaned away. "Between you an' me, I'm the most efficient when it comes to planetary desolation...! Gwa ha!"

They could feel a nervous sweat building above their brows. They glanced back and forth, both wanting to keep an eye on the green Krawl and not wanting to stare too long and potentially risk antagonizing him. "...I believe you."

He gave them a wink before floating back down and clasping his hands together quite loudly. "Wonderful! Now, I know you humans can't breathe where there isn't any atmosphere so I'll make sure to get us directly onto the planet's surface! No tricks or ulterior plans to let you suffocate!"

_That was not a thing Zerva was worried about until Gronos deliberately mentioned it._

The High Krawl floated off, rambling on, unbeknownst to him that Zerva didn't follow immediately, nor were they really paying attention. They faced in his direction but their focus was nowhere. Their mind adrift.

Krux waited for everyone to be out of sight before turning to Zerva once more. He approached them and stopped only a few feet away. "...Do not let your fears hinder you from speaking out, Zerva." His voice made them tense and jump, spinning some to look back up at him, eyes wide once again. Those words seemed... too kind, coming from this man. They were visibly confused by them.

"If you want something, speak more clearly the first time." His voice was low, almost kind, yet the kindness did not last long. "...Do not let it happen again. Now go. And do not come back until your job is done, understood?"

They swallow hard and give a quick but firm nod. "Yup-- yes, sir. Understood." Zerva replied, voice cracking some as they slowly stepped sideways, scooting towards Gronos' direction.

"Hey, uuhhhhh, ready to go when you are...!"

They didn't get much of a verbal response. With a loud cackle and a waving motion of his arms, Gronos suddenly enveloped and swallowed the both of them up in a portal of his own. When it subsided, Zerva fell just a few feet onto the ground, a splashing sound following. They groan in mild disgust from the sudden swampy landing, getting to their feet and shaking their arms and cloak some. "Gee, a warning would've been a little nice...!"

Gronos grinned at them, closing his eyes and raising a finger. "Welcome to the first part of the ropes, human! Nothing is fair and there are never warnings when you want there to be!"

Zerva sighed, wringing out as much water as they could from their cloak. "Guess that's fair but being on the same team maybe we should give each other warnings anyway?"

He paused, seeming to consider the suggestion rather seriously as he scratched at his chin. His grin returned after some time and he gave a shrug. "Well, I'll think about it! I'll keep you posted on my thoughts! Now let's get a move on, we've got things to destroy!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> this is probably just more filler but im terrified of making chapters too long on accident and ending somewhere that doesnt make sense oops anyWAY hope the filler stuff is at least entertaining in some way??? maybe?? i know im writing this fic mostly for me but God Do I Worry Anyway  
> Zerva panics and be like "oh fuck time to Scream what i just said"
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	4. Chapter 4

Trudging through the marshlands of the very wet planet Zerva had decided to choose was proving to be quite a workout. While Gronos hovered and passed above the water and plant life with ease and silence, they waded through thick water and the leaves and roots of the aquatic plants with heavy sloshing and splashing sounds in every step they took, nearly falling deeper in a few times due to the uneven terrain underneath. The depths of the water ranged from just above their ankles to halfway up above their stomach. 

Even with how cool the water was, they were working up quite a sweat. They tried not to sound as worn out as they already were from nearly an hour of pushing through this ecosystem, but they couldn't help but to let out a small gasp and stop to pant on occasion. 

Gronos noticed this, of course. He didn't seem to care very much. The entire trip through he spent talking to them, giving them tips and advice, cuing them in on things to look out for, commending them for choosing a more difficult planet to be able to spot certain things on due to it's vast coating of water nearly planet-wide.

"Really, I'm surprised you didn't choose one of the planets with a more... moderate climate! Not to wet, not too dry, a decent breeze in the air, soil perfect for retaining tracks of humans and other native creatures, much more natural caverns that make excavating minerals and fossils a breeze!"

At this point, Zerva felt as though he were rubbing it in that they didn't choose somewhere more similar to their home planet. They let out a breathy sigh in response, hanging their head and stopping as they pulled their legs up from the deep mucky water and onto a more solid strip of land, taking another moment to just catch their breath. "Yeah, I think I would've much preferred that now...! Ha haaa..."

Gronos stopped and turned to look at them when he heard the loud unmistakable sound of water being forced through stop, tilting his head and letting out a chuckle. "You sure do wear out easily! It's a miracle humans have been surviving as long as they can if just a short period of water is going to get you so tired! You'll definitely need to work on that endurance a ton more if you want even the tiniest bit of hope in lasting with us, gwa ha!"

"Eh."

They gave a dismissive wave with their hand, crossing their legs together and shutting their eyes. "I'm just not in the greatest shape. I get tired pretty easy, but hey, if I can expect doing this a lot then I'm sure I'll build up that endurance in no time. Hopefully." Zerva snorted some and shook their head. They would need a lot more than hope to deal with this on a regular basis they were sure.

"So uh, question about... all the stuff you've been rambling to me about? Like... fossils... and... well, I mean, of course you eat those along with everything else too but you said they can be like... woken up? Aren't fossils the remains of something that died like... ages and ages ago? I don't-- I'm not exactly understanding how you ' _wake_ ' something like that up." they explained to him. They felt rather silly for it. He talked about it as though it were common knowledge.

"Oh, of course! I can't say I'm very surprised about your... lacking in knowledge about them! After all, it's been how long since the ages of Spectrobe Masters?" Gronos seemed to ponder the actual time it had, scratching the top of his head. "...Anyhow! These fossils I mention aren't your average every day fossil of ancient animals! These fossils are Spectrobes in a deep and heavy state of sleep, only able to be awakened by Spectrobe Masters, who would battle alongside these creature of light to battle and oftentimes even kill us Krawl!"

Zerva appeared to be quite lost already. "...Spectrobes...?"

He paused and looked at them with a slight frown. "...Yes? You sound as though you've never heard of them before! Gwa ha ha! Don't look so confused!"

Gronos laughed some, hands to his chest as he let it out heartily, slowly stopping and looking at Zerva when their expression didn't change. His eyes went wide. "You mean to tell me you seriously don't know about Spectrobes!? Goodness! I knew your planet was outdated, but never did I think you wouldn't know _that_ much!" He took a moment to get himself into a more comfortable position, clearing his throat before he continued to explain further.

"You see, some ages ago, Spectrobes and Spectrobe Masters were dotted across many a galaxy. Perhaps even the whole universe! They worked together to fight back against us Krawl, killing and stopping us wherever we showed ourselves in our quest to consume everything in total darkness. Now, I personally don't know all the details of it, but eventually I do believe that we began to overwhelm them in numbers. One Spectrobe Master even unintentionally betrayed his comrades in a ridiculous attempt to try controlling the Krawl! Since then, well... all the Spectrobe Masters were thought to have been wiped out entirely, leaving all Spectrobes unable to be awakened ever again! We did, unfortunately, stumble upon a new Spectrobe Master recently and what a thorn in our side he has been, ha ha!"

He leaned back and scratched the back of his neck. "We've been doing our own work with Spectrobes as well. Master Krux put Maja in charge of that department, and so are the only ones amongst us Krawl that have a prizmod for handling and excavating the Spectrobes and their fossils! When we find fossils we bury them on one of our own planets. It... corrupts them in a sense, changes them into dark fossils, and thus, when awakened by Maja or Master Krux, become dark Spectrobes. We utilize Darkmos for corrupting fossils but we do have more planets at our disposal for such a task!" He leaned back in towards Zerva, whispering this time.

"Just keep any eaten fossils between you and me, eh? Maja will have my head if she hears I ate more before sending them her way!"

Zerva was... overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information they just received. Creatures that important... they couldn't help but to wonder why this wasn't a bigger deal on their planet. Perhaps they thought it was safe there. Safe enough to not have to worry or care about things such as Spectrobes and Krawl.

They sure were proven wrong, huh?

"...Well! That's cool and interesting and weird and stuff I guess so maybe we should start continuing on, yeah?" they finally spoke, exhaling as they pushed themself back up onto their feet.

Gronos followed suit, grinning just as widely as ever. "Thought you'd never say it! Let's go!"

The next few hours were spent roaming the planet more and then, finally, doing something other than walking. Gronos began to show Zerva how to actually excavate minerals and fossils and anything else that might be buried in the ground and of use to them or Krux. A lot of his excavating involved taking in heap after heap of dirt and rock into what they had the misfortune of discovering as the portal that was his body. It was... unnerving, but it did seem to get a lot of the work done.

Zerva, on the other hand, had nothing other then... well... their own two hands to dig with. They were lucky Gronos was generous enough to call up some lesser Krawl to aid them in their own digging, even if it was nerve-wracking. They needed him to pull them away from them on occasion, as it was clear even these less intelligent Krawl could tell they were still just a human. 

After what felt like hours and hours of digging, dirt and sweat covering them, they finally found something... different. As they cleared the last of the dirt and debris off of it, Zerva was left with an unusually shaped rock in their hands. It was a pretty decent size, maybe about the size of a basketball. It almost resembled an animal, at certain angles. They held it up, not taking their eyes off of it. "Hey uhh, Gronos? Got something... different here." they called over to him.

His attention turned towards them nearly instantly as he headed over to see what it was they had found. He recognized it pretty easily, snatching it right out of their hands. "A fossil! You found one! This planet just might be useful after all!"

Before Zerva had a chance to even respond he had opened his mouth and bit his large sharp teeth right through the damn thing, biting it in two and crunching happily on the half of it now in his maw.

They sputtered out in shock, eyes wide. They... weren't sure what they were expecting, but clearly it wasn't that. They shouldn't be surprised! The dude admitted to eating these things! He's helped eat worse things! He had probably eaten some of the people they knew back home! Still they found themself at a loss for words, hands clenched up at the sides of their head in just... shock before they gestured out to what remained of the fossil.

"WHHHHHHH-- WHY...?"

Gronos looked at them, cheeks full with bits of the fossil still in his mouth. "I told you I would eat them, did I not? I feel like that was a fair enough warning!"

Zerva rested their forehead in their hand, eyes still wide as they took a moment to just... process and accept that this just happened and would likely now happen on a regular basis. "...You know what? Yeah. Yup. Fair enough. That's fine. Let's-- I never reacted to that as far as I'm concerned. It never happened, I did not see it. That is a thing I never saw ever in my life, not once, no sir..."

As they trailed off into their rambling, they turned away from Gronos, resuming in their own digging and sifting through the mud and soil. Surely if there's one, there's bound to be more on the planet right?

Eight or so hours eventually passed as the two continued about their searching. Zerva was exhausted and sore. They were definitely feeling all the work and moving they had done today. They were tired. Hungry. Thirsty. They were relieved they had some things to rely on for some time back at their new room. With who knows how much of what stored within Gronos himself and the armful of other fossils and minerals they knew they had gathered up themself, they decided they had a successful mission thus far.

With a simple portal summoned by Gronos once again, the two left the marshlands of the planet and reappeared back within the walls of the Dark Palace.

They couldn't help but to cringe as they looked down at the floor. Their swamp-soaked clothing was dripping all over the floors and making a mess. A tentative step to the side released a squelch from their boots and a soggy sensation pressing against their foot. Zerva's face wrinkled up in discomfort. They wanted to say they doubted the mess would be a huge deal but there was no telling with this Krux fellow. It was hard to tell what things he found annoying and what things he didn't care about at all... just that there was a _lot_ he seemed to find annoying.

"Let's, uh... let's... just hurry and take everything to Krux--"

" _Master_ Krux. You'll want to start addressing him properly! Who knows how long he'll let you speak to him or of him without his proper title!" Gronos corrected and warned.

"...R-right, uh, let's hurry and take everything to _Master_... Krux then... I can't imagine he's someone who likes to wait much either..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> Gronos makes Zerva's brain melt w factoid statistical error and then crunches a fossil right in front of their face, more at 9
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	5. Chapter 5

Fossils, minerals, and other items of importance found in the soggy earth of the planet they had been on were carried Krux's way with ease thanks to Gronos actually knowing how to navigate the portals. Zerva had questioned why he didn't just make his own portal to get them there more instantaneously, and he came back at them with a pretty good point. They wouldn't be very helpful at all if they didn't learn how to navigate this place better, and that coupled with Krux's impatience could very well be the swift disposal of them.

They were surprised yet grateful for Gronos being willing to partially help some in prolonging their life. As much as Zerva wanted to question why, part of them feared asking so would lose them future help with something more important...

Eventually the portals led the two into a long and wide corridor. Entirely empty. No windows, no distinguishing structures... nothing but a colossal door at the very end of it, towering, riddled with geometric patterns. What they might guess would be the unreachable handles of these doors glowed a bright red. How does one even go about opening a door of this size? Zerva could only stare up at it in awe, even from across the corridor like this.

The moment Gronos began moving forward again, they were pulled from their basking at the door. They shook their head, feet nearly tripping over each other as they hurried to follow behind. 

"So, uh... how exactly does anyone... get through those doors?" they ask, their neck getting more sore from looking up at it the closer they got to it.

"HA! They don't!" Gronos replied very simply and loudly, rummaging around in the void making up his body. "No one gets through those doors ever! Not unless Master Krux himself permits it! Foolish to think he would allow anyone to walk into his throne room willy-nilly whenever they so pleased!"

"...Fair enough. Soooo... do we knock on the door then, or--"

Before Zerva could finish their question, the door quaked lightly, slowly parting open in a fashion similar to sliding doors and creating much more noise in doing so. Beyond the door, down an even longer path they could make out what they presumed was this throne Gronos mentioned. Sitting upon it was the unmistakable form of Krux, merely waiting there, hands on the arms of the throne. 

The room itself looked as though it existed within the emptiness of space. Purple and white lighting abound, the ceiling, walls, and even most of the floor was like an ocean of stars. It was beautiful if you disconnected it from the menacing leader of the Krawl.

Even from this distance, they could just _feel_ that he was demanding they get this visit here done and over with as quick as possible.

Gronos took the lead once more, heading into the incredible chamber and stopping fifteen or so feet away from where Krux sat. He glanced back at Zerva, his head giving a quick motion to urge them to follow suit.

Already worried about being an annoyance, the very moment Gronos did this, they trotted forward as well, doing their best to keep their eyes focused forwards. The more professional they acted here would likely be for their better.

Should they kneel? Or give a bow? Or maybe that would have been overdoing it...

"If you're quite _finished_ with your internal apprehension and skittish uncertainty, I would _much_ appreciate if you would state your business." Krux spoke out. Zerva visibly tensed at his words.

Why was he so intimidating? Besides the obvious reasons?

With a small crack in their voice and pursed lips, they spoke up. "We f-found, uh-- we found things that... are... useful? I think?"

They looked to Gronos for some assistance, but he didn't seem to have any intentions on offering help with this. He only grinned.

"L-like, um... all sorts of fossils and minerals... some other resources that were buried... various old items that might possibly maybe potentially have some sort of use for something...?"

Zerva's fingers curled and tugged at each other as they awaited some form of response, fearful that they may be told everything they found was entirely useless and of no benefit despite what Gronos has told them about the fossils. The anticipation killing them, they shut their eyes tight, the smallest of squeaks escaping them as they did so.

For what felt like ages, there was only silence...

"...Disappointing to hear that these things may be all that planet has to offer me, but I suppose a few small useful things are better than none." Krux finally responded to Zerva's report. They could feel the build-up of stress slowly deflate out of them at these words, even if they weren't the most encouraging. "Was there anything else of note on the planet, Gronos?"

The High Krawl hummed out, tapping his chin before he answered. "Not in particular! After all, we weren't there for very long! The particular locations we begaan seemed entirely devoid of any human life or structure though!"

"And was Zerva helpful in your retrieval of what you both found? Or did you find they hindered your work?"

They felt their heart drop in a panic at these words. Eyes wide, they avoided looking at either of the two.

"Well... I think the only hinderance really is how easy it is for them to get tired! I'm not sure if it's a human thing but working only for the amount of time that we did is pretty sad!"

A hit to their self-esteem, even if they did know it was true.

"Even so, they seemed to be making an effort to try keeping up at least! And the extra hand is nice, I suppose..."

Again, silence filled the air. This time, it felt much heavier than usual. Though they didn't expect much praise, of course, hearing this, to Zerva, just confirmed the idea that they would be useless here and were very expendable. They could be left for dead or purposely killed much sooner than they hoped, judging by this.

And yet... once again, they were surprised by further unwarranted generosity.

"...Effort is something, at the very least, but it isn't enough. I expect more than mere effort soon. I want results. Not attempts. Luckily for you, Zerva, you did manage to yield results with your efforts, sad as they may have been." Krux turned his head, looking to Gronos once more. "Gronos, hand over all the commodities you and Zerva managed to gather at once. I will take care of them. I want you to continue scouring that little planet for more of what you've brought. I want that entire planet looked over from its skies to its core. I want to know if there are any humans taking residence on that mud ball and how advanced their weaponry is. You know what to do."

Gronos gave a deep bow, arm tucked under his chest. "Of course, Master Krux! You can count on me!"

As he began reaching into his body to pull out everything within his personal void to hand in, Zerva shifted and looked up at Krux. They reached their hand to their mouth, chewing at their finger for a quick moment before stopping. "What, um... what should I do...?"

Krux's head turned in Zerva's direction. Silent for a very brief moment, he eventually responded. " _You_ will be retreating to your personal chambers for rest. You are human and, unfortunately, this means you need sleep, rest, and some time to actually tend to your basic essential needs. You'll only end up dead, or worse, be impeding our progress if I don't allow you this. Now go."

Relieved as they were to hear they could go and just relax for some time, and yet, they were still unsettled by the way he phrased everything. They nodded, giving a small quick bow. "Yes, sir."

The longer they could avoid calling this guy 'master' the better.

Turning around, Zerva started their hastened walk out of the throne room, leaving Gronos behind with Krux to finish his business there.

They could almost swear that the entire way out of the room and down the massive corridor, despite not once looking back, until they passed through that portal... they could feel Krux's eyes staring them down, burning into their back.

After some confusing and frustrating passing through at least a dozen portals, they found their way to their still newly claimed room. They sat down against the wall beside their food and water supply, closing their eyes and letting out a heavy sigh. This wasn't going to get any easier. They had to adjust to things and they had to do so _fast_ lest the consequences of being unable to adapt quickly strike them down.

Zerva dug around in their pockets again, once more pulling out the unusual hexagonal item, holding it above their head as they looked it over just as they had last time. They lowered it down more, resting it in their lap as their fingers traced over it and lightly squeezed it. What could it be?

Sure, there was the likelihood it was just some piece of junk, but they couldn't bring themself to just dispose of it. Especially since their mother owned it before their father had...

"What _are_ you?"

As though in response to their question, the device clicked and whirred, opening up and emitting a bright light. Zerva squeaked and dropped it in a panic. Unsure of what to expect they shielded themself with their arms.

It shook on the floor for no longer than a single second, and from it, something emerged. Something... small. No taller than two feet. Yellow and purple in color, the little creature looked almost like what a cross between a giraffe and a horse might be. Its mane and tail, as well as the tufts by each of its hooves, seemed to be fiery.

What was this thing?

It let out a yip and chuffed, shaking its head before playfully trotting around in a circle and then approaching Zerva, looking up at them and tilting its cute little head. Despite the sort of animals it looked like, it pawed at them much like a cat would.

They lowered their arms slowly, eyes wide as they looked the creature over. They were amazed! Absolutely! But also very much confused.

They leaned forward some, staring down at the little creature, their guard clearly still up despite how adorable and harmless it acted. It was like some sort of pet. It acted as if it knew them and they weren't quite sure how to feel about that or what to make of it.

"What-- what the _fuck...?_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> rude generosity and weird ass creechurs hopping out of hexagon thingies boy oh boy what the FUCK is going on
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	6. Chapter 6

The small creature that had emerged suddenly from the item Zerva had didn't seem to take notice of their confusion. It... seemed to be a baby, both judging by it's size and it's behavior. It was definitely wanting attention, little hooves reaching up and 'pawing' at their legs and arms. They had no idea what to make of this. Why was this inside of that gadget? How did that thing even _hold_ a creature like this? How long had it been in there? Why was it coming out now of all times? Why not ever before?

As these questions raced through their head, the small, more easily described as goat-like creature whined at them, nudging its head against their thigh and pushing against it, demanding some form of attention from them. Hesitating, they slowly reached a hand out towards it. It nearly instantly shoved its little head right into their palm, nuzzling against it firmly.

A smile slowly crept onto Zerva's face before they gave a soft chuckle. "...Well, I guess I can scratch this up to dad never knowing about you, huh? If he knew something was living inside that thing, I'm almost positive he would've tried selling you off for unfairly high prices... or... maybe not unfair? I'm not too sure what you are or how much the thing that was... somehow holding you might even be worth."

Their fingers gently scratched the creature's head, ruffling through its fiery mane which was shockingly not hot at all. Perhaps it was for scaring off predators?

"Well... I guess this means I have a pet now? God, not... the greatest thing... How the hell am I gonna take care of you, little buddy? I don't know what you are or-- or what you eat. I don't even know how or why you were in that... that..."

They look to the device sitting on the floor now. It looked exactly the same. No signs or indications of anything having gone in or out of it.

This was so weird. So confusing.

The creature began to jump in place happily, legs kicking as it hopped and skipped around, trotted in circles, nudged and nuzzled at Zerva's hands and legs. They had no idea what to do with this thing. How were they going to care for it? If it didn't die of thirst or starvation first, surely the Krawl would see it and...

They didn't want to think about that.

They let out a sigh, glancing over towards their own food stash. Plenty of nutrient bars, peanuts, protein shakes, fruit cups, fruit gummies... Surely they could share with the little guy. They scooted away some from the demanding fellow, digging into the bag and pulling out one of the fruit cups. They took their time in popping it open. The little creature stopped what it was doing and tilted its head as Zerva lowered it in front of it.

"I'm not sure if fruit or your thing or... if any of what I have is your thing but, I figure something is better than nothing, yeah?" They gave a sad laugh and sighed. "I just hope it's not something that'll like... kill you if you eat it. God, what am I going to do with you?"

It steps over to the fruit cup, giving it a few sniffs here and there both inside and outside of the little cup itself. It does eventually seem to be satisfied with the food offered to it, as it squeaked and began to chow down.

Zerva grabbed up one of the nutrient bars for themself, as well as a bottle of water. They unwrapped it and began to eat. It... was definitely not delicious or satisfying at all but it was better than starving to death. They sat without speaking a word as they ate beside... well... their new pet, they presumed. It was a lot to think about. They couldn't get too attached to it. It was going to die. There's no way it would survive here, not when they knew nothing about what it needs to be cared for properly. Not when they don't know what it eats and what isn't safe for it to eat.

It could probably be dead in just an hour.

Their quick snack finished, they went for their water, chugging down at least three quarters of it before stopping to get themself some air, breathing heavily and closing their eyes. 

The sound of a small empty cup being pushed around gets them to open their eyes again. The little creature had finished the fruit cup and was now nudging and kicking it around with its hooves and nose, occasionally bouncing up and down around it. Zerva smiled, leaning forward from where they were seated to grab the cup up, sitting it back upright. They poured it full with what was left in their water bottle, setting it off to the side and watching.

The creature, stared at them, then at the cup. It sniffed at the water, shaking its head and letting out a nicker before circling around and lying down on the floor.

"You and me both buddy." Zerva said with a faint snort, closing their eyes once more. They were tired. A nap sounded really nice right now. 

"...This has to be some sort of whack-ass dream. Solar system eating aliens deciding not to kill me for seemingly no reason? Weird creatures that can be revived from fossils somehow? Unknown animals hopping out of weird hexagon thingies? No way this is real. Nuh-uh. This is too wild."

As they started to get comfortable and faintly began to drift off, the little fiery goat-like creature lifted its head. It watched Zerva for a short time before getting to its feet and wandering around them some. Its attention looked to the device it emerged from on the floor... and it began to nudge it back over to them with its nose. Once it got the device beside them, it hopped up into their lap, a sharp breath escaping them as they did.

Zerva cracked an eye open and sighed. "A warning would be nice next time before you decide to jump directly onto my organs." they muttered out to it, smiling faintly regardless before they shut their eyes again.

It curled up on their lap, shifting until it was in a prime comfortable position. Once it found the best spot, it closed its eyes as well. Slowly the both of them fell asleep.

Many hours past as the both of them slumbered. Finally beginning to wake up, Zerva stirred and shifted, grumbling and groaning in an only partly awakened state. They stretched their arms up in the air and to the side, tilting their body along with it to stretch out their back as well. They followed with their legs straight out in front of them. All the movement disturbed the still resting creature in their lap.

It chuffed, dissatisfied in being disturbed before hopping out of their lap and doing some stretches of its own.

They squinted at it, blinking slowly as their body and brain took their sweet time in waking up. They stare at it for a short period...

Then at themself.

Then at the room.

Zerva let out a sigh, flopped on their side on the floor now. "...Well. Guess that means that all this is real." they mumbled out, very slowly sitting back up. " _You're_ real. All this crazy shit is... real..." They fell silent, taking a moment to take in the fact that they had no choice really but to accept this reality. 

Also what to do with this... weird animal.

They turned their head to look at it again, watching it knock over the water-filled fruit cup to play with it again instead, jumping on and kicking it around. "...Well... I guess I should name you or something? I mean-- I don't wanna get attached because... fuck, man, who knows how long you'll last here?"

The creature stopped its playing, looking at Zerva as though offended by the idea that it would just die that easily. It kicked a hoof back a few times and brayed at them before continuing to play.

They couldn't help but to chuckle. "Alright, alright, I'll give you the benefit of a doubt, buddy, but I still don't wanna get too attached, you know? Just in case? Hmm... a name... a naaaammmme..."

Zerva considered different things to name their new pet. They didn't want something stupid and generic sounding just by it's weird... giraffe horse goat appearance... but they were also concerned that the more thought they put into the name the more attached they might get. Their facial expression crinkles as they debate with themself for a few moments more.

"Legion. I think I'll call you Legion. It makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever but it's better than naming you Billy or something like that."

It began hopping in a circle once again, slowly making its way towards Zerva again. It nudged and rubbed its head against their arm a few times before stopping very suddenly.

It began frantically looking around the room. Its posture began to lower into a cower and it began to whine and whimper out. It looked... scared. Terrified, even.

They frowned, gingerly lifting a hand and slowly reaching out to it. "...Are you okay, little buddy...?" they asked, voice soft. It trembled in place before its legs, skittish and rapid moving, powered its little body to the other side of Zerva where the device rested on the floor. Without even touching the thing, it suddenly became nothing more than a shape of light and seemed to be pulled right back in to the object.

They blinked, confused, picking up the device carefully and looking it over. "...Why did it--"

The sound of a portal forming within the room caused them to gasp and jump, juggling the device for a bit to keep from dropping it. Quickly they tucked it away in their pocket again, sitting back against the wall as straight as possible as the portal dispersed, Gelberus being revealed from its remnants.

Zerva's heart rate was rapid and they were still visibly panicked.

He looked as though about to speak, but stopped in noticing how tense they seemed. "...Alright, I know I'm terrifying and intimidating, but you don't need to be _that_ scared. Come on now. Gotta calm the fuck down a little there."

They replied with a mere swallowing of their anxiety and a nod, letting out a quiet but long breath as they situated themself into a more relaxed posture. Their fingers were very twitchy and restless.

"Great. Well, since you're awake or whatever and not dead, I'm bringing you with me." he told them, gesturing for them to get to their feet. "I'm bored as hell. We're going to the planet you were on with Gronos. Me and him swapped out planets because I decimated everything on my planet already. Really lush and green but also _reaaaallly_ small. Nothing useful on it. Burned up quicker than anything I've ever seen, ha ha!"

He tapped his fingers on his arms while Zerva got to their feet.

"He's going to be eating up and storing whatever is left of that planet. Well... storing if there's anything useful I may have looked over anyway. You and me? We're going to cause some chaos. He found a big weapons facility on that waterlogged planet. The place itself is a massive fuckin' weapon, actually. Can't imagine it's good news for us. You're going to get to witness carnage firsthand!" 

Gelberus grinned as he said this, stopping for a moment when he thought more about it. He scratched at his chin with a single finger. "Wellllll, you'll be witnessing it firsthand while being the _cause_ of it, anyway. Your planet was quite a mess too, eh?"

Zerva frowned, rubbing their arm and looking away.

He stood silent for a moment before pointing at them with a shaking finger. "...Right, right, that's still real touchy for you, isn't it? Hmm... Well hey, look at it this way, this time it's not anything or anyone you care about! Now how about we get going? I am _dying_ of boredom right now."

They shrugged in response, slowly walking over and gesturing vaguely with their arms. "Yeah, cool, sure, why not, let's blow up weapons or whatever it is, I'll just like pretend there's no actual people there and not look and cover my ears when shit happens, let's do it, let's go, let's just... fucking get it over with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> what kind of dog is this and what does it eat and why did it get scared and why must Gelberus rub the desolation of their planet in their face
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a quick trip back to their destination planet, as to be expected when portals can be opened up willy-nilly. The nausea caused by the means of travel would take a little bit of time to subside. Zerva hoped that eventually, with even more time, it wouldn't leave them feeling woozy at all anymore.

They took a look around at their surroundings. Water, water, and more water. Little speckles of muddy land. Some small trees and bushes here and there as well as grasses. Not much to obscure the horizon though. The very empty horizon.

"So is this big ass weapon building thing invisible or something because like..."

They made a face and gestured out with both their arms to all sides of the horizon. "It's, uh... not looking super weapon-y here."

"Good. Means I got us far enough away to be undetected by it. I mean, hell if I know if that's something it can actually do but with something of that size? Best not to take a risk. I love taking things head on, but I don't wanna go down as the idiot that got shot down and eviscerated by a giant weapon I decided to go directly towards." Gelberus explained very simply with a huff. Even keeping himself hovering above the water he didn't look to be the most comfortable or happy to be on this planet.

"We have a lot of ground to cover so I hope you're ready for the trip."

"You say that like I would have a choice in a shorter trip." Zerva said with a snort, shaking their head as they begin to follow.

The long walk was a rather uneventful one. No interesting sights or finds the whole way through, and not an ounce of conversation or sound until much later in. It was dull and tiring, the conversation only sparking up when the large weapons building came into sight along the distant horizon finally.

"So I know you're not a huge fan of the idea of killing everyone here and all, and you want to avoid the topic of it, but this is serious. This happens on a very regular basis. Like it or not, you'll have to get used to it if you're planning on sticking around for the longterm." Gelberus finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Sooner or later you're gonna end up having to do it yourself."

"Yeah, well--" Zerva sputtered out, seeming to struggle with finding something to even say back to Gelberus. " _Sorry_ that I can't get accustomed to that in the short short span of a day or two. I already kinda _figured_ all that, I was just hoping for, oh I dunno, some actual _time_ between my planet's destruction and me actively killing other people?"

"...I think if that's what your hopes were, you may have mistaken us for anything other than Krawl."

The sheer expression of Gelberus' face alone showed just how ridiculous he found Zerva's expectations to be. They couldn't blame him. After all, he was right. They shouldn't have hoped much for that, should they have? Them being spared and allowed to join was nothing but raw luck to begin with and a huge surprise of it's own.

Zerva let out a sigh, gripping at their arm some and frowning. "...Yeah that's-- that's fair. Guess I should've expected to be thrown into major stuff immediately, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe. On the bright side though, this isn't the major stuff, so you got some slack there. This is more of, eh... safety precautions?" He gave a heavy shrug and tilted his head. "That being said, I can't wait to bring that thing down in smoke and flames, heh heh... It's so close, I can taste it..."

They took a breath in, raising a finger as though wanting to give some sort of input. Quickly, they shut themself down and lower their hand again. Zerva cleared their throat and glanced off to the side, acting as though they hadn't intended to try saying anything. 

Gelberus took notice, cocking a brow and staring down at them. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "Well, go on, speak up. What's rattling around in that little head of yours?"

Zerva shrank back some, their expression uncertain, avoiding eye contact. Their fingers fidgeted and tugged at each other as they began to speak. "W-well, um... I know you wanna like... blow it up and everything but I-- ...I dunno, I guess I wanna actually be _useful_ here, so, I was thinking, maybe, possibly, I... could... try to sneak in and do some internal sabotaging somehow...?"

"What? Dressed like that?"

His eyes scanned over them up and down. Between their cloak and their ridiculous get up to pretend they were a Krawl, there was no way they'd be sneaking in looking like that. Zerva themself realizes this as they start looking themself over, rubbing the back of their head. "Well, I mean... I can take off the cloak and let you hold it. Everything else is, uh... gonna be a pain to get off though. Peeling some it off is gonna hurt, even with the help of water. Not to mention it's probably going to take some time to get most of it off and--"

"Alright, go ahead then. We're in no rush. I'll be bored out of my mind for longer but, pfft, your plan is bound to have an interesting outcome." Gelberus chuckled, waving a hand at them to encourage them as he smiled. "I just hope you have a backup plan in case your little infiltration mission goes wrong."

They stood still for a few moments, blinking before looking up at Gelberus for any signs that he was joking. Pulling their leg. Anything. Besides his amused smirk, they couldn't see anything that might indicate he was lying about letting them try this.

"...Wait... you mean like... _for real_ for real you're letting me try this?"

"Want me to change my mind?"

Not wanting to lose the chance to potentially be more helpful than just digging a little, Zerva makes a face and sits themself in the water, washing away at their arms first before anything else. This was going to take a while. "R-right...! Well...! I figured if it _does_ go wrong we can go back to your plan of blowing everything the hell up and stuff... Uh, preferably not until I'm a safe distance away from being part of the collateral damage."

"You might lose a limb, but I gotcha." Gelberus says nonchalantly, summoning up tiny flames above his hand and spinning them in a circle with simple finger motions. Anything to stay occupied. "...That's a joke, by the way. Well. Mostly. I don't intend on hurting or killing you any, but shit can happen."

It took a good hour or two for Zerva to completely remove and clean off their homemade Krawl disguise from their skin and hair. And even then there were still bits lingering on them in a few places. Most of it was gone and not the most noticeable though, and that was what mattered. As for the black coloration that still dyed most of their hair, it would take too many washes to get all of it out. The natural orange coloration of their hair was muddied and barely seeable still. Perhaps they could pass it as just that. Fading hair dye. That cheap, temporary spray sorts that often sold during Halloween season. They just hoped no one would really care enough to ask about it. They let out a huff, stepping out of the water and taking off their cloak, drying themself and their hair off with it before tossing it over to Gelberus.

"This is as good as I'm getting right now. Feels... a lot nicer to not be covered in all of that but... weird? I know everyone knows I'm not a Krawl but I at least sort of looked like one, and now that I don't it's..." Their face scrunched up, arms windmilling around each other as they trying figuring out the best way to describe what they were trying to get across. They were at a loss for words though. Zerva let out a sigh and shook their head. "Nevermind."

"Great. You were confusing me, too. Let's get going." Gelberus said, gesturing for them to follow him again as he began heading in the direction of the weapons building again. "I hope you appreciate that I'm letting you do this. Sneaking around and into places is super boring. Hate it. Hell, can't even guarantee there's a way to disable the thing inside there, let alone if you'll even be able to or know how to. You know that right?"

They nodded and sighed in response. "Yeah, yeah I'm pretty aware of that but... I wanna at least try. I'm assuming whether I'm successful or not, you'll be burning it down afterwards anyway?"

"Best way to make sure a weapon won't work is to break the hell out of it."

Zerva shrugged and gave another nod. "That's fair. I mean... I guess I shouldn't expect to be successful anyhow. Place is probably huge and full of all sorts of different security. I honestly super doubt I'll make much progress but I still wanna try. I can't just... be a useless tagalong companion. So uh... Not sure if it means anything to you at all but... thanks... for letting me try it, at the very least."

Gelberus scoffed and shook his head, although he smiled. "It does mean something to me. I'm willing to die of boredom to let you do something that will most definitely not work so I'm pretty glad to hear you're actually thankful about it. Let's not focus on the thanks and you're welcomes and all that right now though. We still got a ways to go before we do anything. I'll probably need to be some distance away for you to try sneaking in then so you know, so if shit goes wrong, you yell and scream for me, loud, louder than you've ever yelled out for anything in your life before. Got it?"

"Got it. I'll do my best for sure, heh..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> Gelberus be like "this will be interesting but also super boring and lame but also kind of interesting" and listen all he cares about is the fact that regardless of the out come hes burning shit down  
> sorry for the long wait for this update ive been!! very tired lol
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING!!
> 
> This chapter contains non-descriptive mass murder and some PTSD affected Zerva. If this is triggering for you, read with caution or click away.

Gelberus and Zerva spent the next few minutes going over the general plan of action, making sure no important details were forgotten or misunderstood. Succeed or fail, the whole building would be going down in flames. The two of them agreed that Gelberus would remain at this far distance to avoid detection and possible affiliation with Zerva as they tried to enter, assuming there was some way for the people within the weapons facility to detect Krawl at all. Just in case of that, he would also be moving about random locations around the place while keeping the same distance, as to avoid anyone actually approaching him if possible.

Not to mention it was likely less dull to do that than it would be to stand around in the same spot for however long it might take.

Plans prepared, Zerva took a deep breath in, holding it for a few moments before letting out and long and slow exhale. "Well! Guess I better start heading over there and hoping this goes well, whether my part uh... fails or works out. Kinda anxious, not gonna lie, heh..."

A heavy pat onto their back knocked the wind out of them, causing them to stumble forward some.

"No need to be so nervous, you got me to back you up!" Gelberus reaffirmed with a grin. "You couldn't possibly be in better hands. Now get in there and start a riot, will ya?"

They responded to his grin with a nervous chuckle, wringing their wrists as they shuffled their feet. They started off by walking slowly backwards before finally turning around, picking up a steady yet quickened pace.

It was a long walk. It started to feel as though it would take forever once they were only halfway there from where they started. The lack of conversation was making Zerva realize just how truly lonely they were. No human companionship. Surrounded by Krawl that didn't care for them outside of the bounds of Krux's unusual generosity in letting them live amongst them. Were it not for how certain they were of this building's, hell, this _planet's_ decimation, they were somewhat tempted to ask for help from the people at this facility.

Even with that small temptation, the thought of doing so made them feel... a little guilty, oddly enough. They had been so desperate for some form of companionship that they found themself enjoying the company of these Krawl.

Well...

Of a few of them, anyway...

A sudden sound within their pockets pulled Zerva from these thoughts, their head lowering as they rummaged around to see what it was. A light emitting from their pockets quickly answered that question. Eyes wide, they tried to stuff the unusual device deeper down and keep it covered. It didn't stop the creature within from hopping out, however.

It appeared from a beam of curved light onto the ground beside their feet, kicking a front leg in the mud before skipping around Zerva in a circle and chuffing happily.

They frantically grabbed it up, covering it with their arms as best they could.

"What are you doing, hopping out right now of all times, Legion...!? It's too dangerous, don't you think...!?" they asked the creature in a loud whisper, trying their best to keep it still and somehow return it to the gadget. They didn't know how, though.

Legion didn't seem to take their words into consideration. It was squirming and snuggling up to Zerva, trying to hop back down to skip around more...

Zerva groaned out and grimaced, carefully letting the creature back down on the ground. "Okay, fine, but please just... stay close to me, alright? I'll carry you whenever the water gets too deep for you."

The rest of the walk was more eventful than the first half of it. With a small creature skipping and hopping around and demanding Zerva's attention as it stomped in seemingly random spots on the ground, it was definitely much less lonely. Legion did, however, seem to get rather grumpy and pouty about them not stopping when it did stomp and kick at the earth.

"Later, okay? We're kinda in the middle of doing something important. I'll play as much as you like after it gets done." they tried to assure Legion, who chuffed and shook its head in protest, but seemed to accept this nonetheless. 

The building wasn't far now. The sheer size of it was a little intimidating, considering that this weapons facility was also a weapon in of itself. That, however, wasn't what had Zerva the most nervous. The people stationed outside were. They knew those posted men could see them approaching and it kind of scared them. They swallowed as much as their fear down as they could, hesitating just a short moment before they quickened their pace.

Legion urged Zerva to continue by nudging its head against their leg and trying to push them itself despite its very small size. It didn't seem to understand just why they were so anxious.

Just outside the doors now, they were able to get a better look at demeanor of the two people standing guard there. One definitely seemed as though he didn't want to be there at all; he hardly stood straight and had his arms crossed, a bored expression about his face, tall and lanky. The other seemed as though he might be new. Perhaps even on his first day. He looked nervous and stiff and was doing his best to stand in a straight posture and look serious, though it was obviously forced. Average height and a bit on the chubbier side.

Zerva stopped just a few feet away from them, not wanting to rouse too much suspicion or distrust. Legion hopping about them, they cleared their throat. "Hey...! Uh... I was sent to come pick up some weapons and tech here. My boss said you'd be expecting me?"

The taller of the two stared at Zerva, looking them up and down before turning his gaze to Legion beside them. After some moments of silent consideration, he turned to his partner. "Well. We do have someone picking some stuff up today. Wasn't supposed to be for another hour or so though, I didn't think, but whatever. Wouldn't be the first time someone showed up early." he muttered out with a sigh. "I just wasn't expecting a Spectrobe Master of all people. Pretty rare nowadays, isn't it?"

Before Zerva could respond, the shorter man chimed in. "Yeah! It's pretty amazing though, isn't it? I didn't think I'd ever have the opportunity to see one in person! You know... outside of fossils, and all!" He stopped to clear his throat, trying to regain a more serious demeanor once again. He wasn't doing very well with that. "Anyhow, we were expecting a pick up so just head on in and wait just in the first room there! I'll notify the researchers that you're here and they'll be right with you."

"Thanks, means a lot. Sorry about the lack of notice. I figured my boss would've said something about me coming early, heh..." Zerva replied a bit sheepishly, stepping forward to pass the guards and enter the building finally. The doors closed behind them and they stopped, taking a moment to look around this first room. It was reminiscent of a doctor's office in the way things were colored and laid out. Everything seemed to be made out of plasteel and other metals. Likely other materials too, of course, but those two were the most commonly noticeable.

They didn't waste too much time taking in the scenery more than that. They had a job to do after all, and with the two guards remaining outside, there wasn't anyone present to stop them from moving past the first room.

Zerva peered over the counter of the reception cubicle as they cautiously but quickly slipped by, thankful that whoever was supposed to be in there was away for whatever reason. They looked down at Legion, pressing a finger to their lips. They knew they would be passing more people later but the less they spoke, the less suspicious they might seem. They passed through with minimal difficulty, walking down one of the first hallways in a bit of a haste. There weren't a ton of people in the first hall, but it was plenty busier as they went in further. Many of the people would stop to look at Zerva and Legion, whispering to each other, but no one had tried stopping them yet.

One tried to start up conversation but a quick "Sorry, I'm really busy right now...!" got them to stop rather quickly.

Every step they took got them more and more excited, even with how nervous they were. They were really going to do this! They were going to get in without any issues, figure out how to disable the whole building somehow, then run out and tell Gelberus! They were going to be helpful and useful! They were going to be--

"Excuse me."

A hand grabs their shoulder, stopping Zerva in their tracks. They let out a squeak, wanting to pull away but refraining from doing so. It might make matters worse. "I-I'm sorry, sir, but I'm _really_ busy right now and--"

"You were supposed to wait for me at the entrance, now why would you go wandering off all on your own?" the man spoke with a sigh, clipboard in his free hand. Zerva turned around to face him and frowned. 

"Ah-- sorry... I figured it might have been faster if I went to search for who I needed to meet with, heh... Um... Anyway, I'm here for--"

"For the pick-up yes, I know, the guards out front told me all about you. Odd that a Spectrobe Master would be tasked with something... like this. Even more odd for my client to have one hired. Now then, if we can just get a confirmation of a name and the access code, we can have you on your way with the supplies." He clicked his pen, holding it above his clipboard as he waited, eyes narrowed.

They bit their lip, shifting in place. "R-right, um, access code and name... well... I'm Zerva, and--"

The man lets out a long exasperated sigh, clicking his pen a few times before pointing at them with it. "Your _boss'_ name, please, not _yours_. Surely this shouldn't be an issue."

Their eyes dart away and back to the man, unsure of what to do. They had no idea. They didn't know what to say. They didn't even have any guesses. Zerva raised a finger up, hesitating for a moment before saying with very obviously false confidence, "That would be Pate MacMillan...!"

The man clicked his pen again, staring at them in sheer and utter disbelief. "...No. No that would not be correct. You're not here for the pick up, why did those two goons let you in?" he sounded very annoyed. pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "Why are you really here? No one can just walk on in, Spectrobe Master or not, so I hope you have some form of permission and reason to be here."

He lifted a hand up to his ear, seeming to press inside it, bringing it back and tapping his pen on the clipboard. "Security has been alerted."

Zerva gave a nervous laugh, taking a step back and glancing around. Well, so much for this going well, huh? They lean down and pick Legion up, ignoring his protesting wiggling. "Right. The truth! About why I'm here! Um, so, basically--"

They made a mad dash past the man before they finished speaking, holding Legion close and tight to their chest. "ABORT! ABORT!"

As they sprinted back the way they came, various other people, guards and researchers alike, tried grabbing them to stop them. They were occasionally slowed down by a tugging at their clothes and shoulder but managed to keep going. They burst through the doors as they were shouted and hollered at to stop and dashing past the two posted outside. No one chased them very far out of the building, but that didn't stop Zerva from panicking and thinking they were in a heap of trouble.

"GELBERUS! GELBERUS! I AM YELLING AS LOUD AS I CAN, PLEASE COME HERE BECAUSE I FAILED SO HARDCORE!" they screamed out, stumbling some as they splashed through the mucky puddles.

Between screaming out his name and just making as much loud sounds as they possibly could, their throat was getting very sore very fast. Zerva began to worry they weren't loud enough to be heard at all. That was until Legion whimpered out and, as it had before, vanished in a stream of light back into the device they hid on their person. Not mere seconds later, the heavy, deep swishing sound of flames rocketed above them. They stopped in their tracks, looking up to see a massive sphere of fire hurtling towards the building and quickly making purchase into it, a loud rumble and crackling sounding from the hit.

A familiar dark swirling portal appeared in front of them afterwards, a tired but almost relieved sounding sigh coming from it as Gelberus finally arrived from it. "Well, took longer than I expected it too, so good job getting that far." he said, stretching out his arms and back. "Was getting _really_ goddamned bored though. Time for the real fun to start, heh..." He turned his head, looking back at Zerva. He waved a hand dismissively towards them. "You best keep your legs moving. Who knows how far apart the building's pieces are gonna blow! I'd hate to kill you with an accidental crushing."

They faltered for a moment, but deciding Gelberus was correct not only for that point but for the case of being far enough away to not hear any screams. They hoped they could get far enough away, at least. They swallowed hard and gave a nod. "R-right, I'll-- I''ll go run then--"

"Oh, just run already!"

"Right...!"

They turned back around and began to spring again. Their lungs and throat hurt and felt dry from all the running and screaming already. The uneven landscape and varying depths of the water didn't help one bit with that and made running much more difficult.

They didn't run fast enough.

They couldn't get far enough away.

The screams had started.

Zerva shut their eyes tight, covering their hands over their ears. They didn't want to hear this. They specifically did not want to hear any of this. Not again. Not ever. It was just like on their planet when the Krawl invaded. Only this time... they were actively part of the reason for those screams. They hated it, they couldn't stand it, they wanted it to stop, they--

Every scream fell abruptly silent with the sound of a massive explosion. They jumped and spun around. The weapons facility had been entirely replaced by fire, smoke, and rubble. Some pieces of it flew through the air, smoking, like fireworks that don't quite function. Zerva stood there, simply staring. Their ears were ringing. Their heart felt like it was going to burst. They couldn't move.

It felt so hard to breathe for them suddenly, and being out of breath as they were from running made it worse. Their head was getting light and their vision blurry. Zerva tried their best to steady their breathing, shutting their eyes tight. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It didn't feel like it was helping but surely it must be. They were trembling.

They muffled sound of a voice broke their concentration. Was it a voice? It was so hard to tell with how much their ears were still ringing. Zerva opened their eyes and looked up, Gelberus' figure there in front of them. They couldn't make out what he was saying or asking or whatever words he was throwing at them right now.

They were picked up by him. More talking. They tried hard to focus on it. Slowly the words started to clear up.

"...broke, you're not responding at all. Fuckin' hell. I don't know how to deal with broken humans. Come on, we're going back to Malik. Maybe Master Krux can figure out what the hell is going on with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
> 
> in this chapter of my fanfic we feature.... -flips page-  
> ....ah yes! Zerva's ptsd from their planet being destroyed
> 
> Zerva belongs to me.
> 
> All other characters belong to the Spectrobes franchise.


	9. HIATUS

This fanfic is taking an indefinite hiatus bc as much as I love Spectrobes and wanna write more for this my hyperfixations are currently on Bloodborne and DnD and probably other things depending on how long this hiatus lasts, sorry gamers. QvQ


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